Air Force seeks captains for PhD program

Jun. 28, 2013 - 02:55PM
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The Air Force last week said it will sponsor three captains to pursue a doctorate degree at a major university next year.

The captains selected for the fiscal 2014 Chief of Staff of the Air Force Captains Prestigious PhD Program will be able to study history, political science, international relations, economics, philosophy, international business relations, international security studies, or political systems and theories.

“The program helps develop a cadre of strategic thinkers,” Air Force spokesman Tech. Sgt. Jason Franklin said in a June 27 release. “Intellectual development of officers, especially in critical thinking skills, relatively early in their careers will result in Air Force and joint leaders who have the ability to communicate at a strategic level with civilian leaders across enterprises.”

Applicants must be active duty captains with no more than nine years of total active commissioned time as of Aug. 31, 2014. Major commands, combatant commands, direct reporting units and field operating agencies may each nominate one active duty captain. The Air Force District of Washington may nominate three captains from the National Capital Region, but only one of those may be from Joint Base Andrews, Franklin said.

Nominations must be delivered to the Air Force Personnel Center by Aug. 15. Applicants must ensure they meet school application criteria and deadlines in time to start their PhD program in fall 2014.

Participating universities include Columbia University, Cornell University, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, the Fletcher School at Tufts University, University of California-Berkley, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Chicago, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Texas-Austin, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Yale University.